Update

I'm going to try to keep this short, but I have a tendency to ramble.

At Beckham's 9 month well check up, he was considered underweight for his height, but not for his age.  He was eating really well at the time.  Our pediatrician ordered routine blood work, for babies underweight.  All came back normal.  And referred us to a pediatric dietician.

Days after his 9 month well check, he started to refuse to eat.  He started vomiting at the sight, smell, and thought of food.  If he was placed in his high chair, he'd gag, most times to the point of vomiting. If you brought food up to his nose, he'd gag/puke.  These past couple months have been frustrating to say the least. I have been calling our pediatricians office every week/every other week.  A RN takes his calls and determines if the child needs to be seen.  I couldn't convince them that it wasn't normal that he wouldn't eat, and was vomiting.  Every RN I spoke to said 'he has food aversions'.  Okay...but he still needs to be seen so I can get help with it.  They wouldn't.

We saw a pediatric dietician a couple weeks ago.  It took a month and a half to get in to see her.  She gave us some good tips on how to fatten him up.  One was to add a teaspoon of oil to everything he ate, but he doesn't eat.  And to concentrate his formula.  He is drinking about 11 ounces of formula a day, when he should be drinking 33 ounces if that's his only form of nutrition he gets.  Let me just add that, he isn't your typical baby that sits down and drinks a 6+ ounce bottle.  He takes sips here and there, mostly taking all 11 ounces during the night.  As in he wakes up every hour, sometimes more for a sip of his bottle.

Last Friday we woke up to him covered in vomit, it was everywhere. In his ears, hair, every square inch of his crib was soaked.  By morning he was just dry heaving.  He did not seem well at all!  The stomach flu didn't cross my mind because he had been vomiting on and off for 2 months, obviously nothing like this though.  But he didn't have a fever, and didn't have diarrhea.  My husband said we'd better take him to the Stollery.  We explained his 'issues' to the doctor and he said that Beckham has the stomach flu. Fair enough, I'm sure he did.  But that didn't explain why he vomits daily, and doesn't eat.  We wanted answers.  The doctor said our pediatrician likes to treat his own patients, and doesn't like other doctors to diagnose.  Great.

This past week the vomiting became more frequent, I got fed up.  I called and said he needs to be seen by a doctor, enough is enough.  Again the RN said he has food aversions and that they didn't have an appointment for two weeks, but would leave his file open on her desk for the doctor to see if he could fit him in sooner.  We got a call a few hours later that we could see him that day.

I love our pediatrician, he has always showed concern, and always refers us to a specialist, should there be any concern.  I explained what I had been dealing with for two months.  To him, it sounds as though Beckham has a behavioral disorder towards food, but to be sure he is having a barium swallow test (X-ray) this week.  We will have an occupational therapist come into our home and assess/help Beckham with his negative feeling towards food, should that be his issue.  The pediatrician recommended us night weaning him, because he obviously should take in his calories during the day, rather then night.  We knew that, but, when your baby doesn't eat, you'll give him his calories whenever he wants those calories!

Last night was our first night, night weaning.  I was nervous he'd cry ALL night, since he is up every hour for his bottle.  I thought there's no way I could possibly listen to him cry of hunger, and not give in.  But to my surprise our night went a lot better then I had thought it would. The first time he woke up he cried/screamed for an hour and 7 mins (we went in his room every 10 minutes to reassure him, and rub his back).  He is so strong willed.  He woke up 4 - 5 times after that but settled within 5 minutes with his soother.  This morning, he had a couple bites of food...progress!! :):)

That's our past two months in a nutshell.  Very frustrating but hopefully we figure something out soon!  ...you don't appreciate a baby that eats, until you have one that doesn't!

xo
A